Announcement: State Budget Organizer Needed

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State Budget Organizer Needed

Connecticut Voices for Children is seeking a well-qualified and enthusiastic person to act as State Budget Organizer through May 14, 2010, with the possibility of an extension. The goal of this part-time consultant position (approx. 20-30 hours per week) is to increase support among Connecticut organizations and individuals for revenue enhancements to help close Connecticut’s state budget deficit. Connecticut Voices seeks to support policies that raise adequate revenues to fund vital public services for Connecticut’s children and families.

The State Budget Organizer will

Conduct outreach to organizations and individuals to gain support for state revenue enhancement options, including small business, faith-based, environmental, municipal, education, and other organizations.
Support and expand CT Voices’ collaborative work with other organizations and coalitions concerned with state tax and budget topics.
Conduct educational presentations on state tax and budget policy developments, issues, and state revenue options for a variety of audiences.
Assist with the development of presentation materials, fact sheets, e-mail updates, and other educational materials.

CT Voices seeks to contract with a consultant as soon as possible. Please see the job announcement below for details and share this announcement with persons who might be interested in the position or able to share the profile with potential candidates.

Position Announced: January 8, 2010

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Position Announcement (78.96K)

Taking Stock: Four Decades of State Revenues, Expenditures, and Deficits

This overview of state budget trends contradicts some conventional views and concerns about taxes and spending in Connecticut.

During the last recession, Connecticut policymakers closed a larger share of the deficit through spending cuts and smaller share through revenue increases than during previous recessions. In response to the latest recession (Fiscal Years 2009 to 2013), Connecticut policymakers closed 37% of the state budget deficit through revenue increases, compared to 42% in the previous recession (Fiscal Years 2002 to 2003) and 44% during Fiscal Years 1989 to 1992.
State spending has remained stable over the last two decades, after an increase in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Spending as a share of personal income was about 2% lower in 2010 than in 1995.
Over the last 20 years, state revenues from corporation business taxes and sales taxes have fallen dramatically as a share of personal income. Corporation business taxes fell 73% and sales taxes 44% as a proportion of personal income between 1990 and 2010. This decline was brought about by corporate tax cuts, expanded loopholes, and tax avoidance by businesses. The decline of sales tax revenues was due to to a shift towards an economy based increasingly on services, which are usually not subject to sales taxes, rather than goods, which are taxed.
Although middle-income and low-income Connecticut residents pay a larger share of their income in state and local taxes than the wealthiest residents, the report finds that recent state tax reforms have improved the progressivity of the tax system. This change was due the passage of a state earned income tax credit (EITC) for working families and adoption of more progressive income tax rates for wealthier residents.

Download this publication from Connecticut Voices for Children.

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